Good Cop, Bad Cop
by Trivette Lover Heather
Summary: Individual Series of Tags To The Season Seven Episode, Good Cop, Bad Cop.
1. Team Ziva

_**Abby:**__ Gibbs isn't acting like he's on team Ziva. _

--

"Mad?" Gibbs posed the question moments after appearing behind her.

"Is the sky blue?"

Gibbs took a step back; but only to avoid her flinging pig tails. "Is that a trick question?"

"Gibbs…this is not the time to crack jokes…make light…or whatever it is you're trying to do…you're usual charm will not work this time."

He didn't smile. "What can I do?"

"Do? Do? How about start by explaining why you disappeared off the face of the earth during one of the biggest crises team Gibbs has ever had to face?…no scratch that…how about your start by leaving and coming back with an entire Caf Pow machine, cuz that's what its gonna take for me to be…un-mad."

"Un-mad?"

"Ooooh," she huffed. "Now you're gonna pick on my choice of words? Look who's talking…oh wait, you don't talk…"

"Abs…"

"And don't you even think that "Abs-ing" me is gonna make me feel guilty…I deserve an apology, in fact, I deserve at least a thirty word explanation…that's right…thirty words…"

"No."

"No?"

"No," he took another step towards her, knowing full well that she couldn't resist.

"I'm not gonna hug you…" she tried closing her eyes just as he stood in front of her. "I'm not gonna hug you…I'm …not…gonna…" She tightened her fists but found her arms slowly moving upwards. "Hug…you…"

It was hopeless, and they both knew it.

"Okay, I'm hugging you," she wrapped her arms around him tight. "But I'm still mad…"

Gibbs remained silent.

"Getting a little less mad…" She took in a breath. "A little less…okay forget it…I'm not mad anymore…"

Gibbs let her release him before managing a small smile. "So we good?"

She pouted. "Yeah…"

"Good." He simply nodded before turning to leave.

"Good? That's it? Just good?"

"Great?"

"I forgive you without so much as an apology and all I get it is, good?"

Gibbs hit his forehead as if remembering what he'd come down for in the first place.

And so he signed a simple, yet familiar… _"I love you."_


	2. Don't Bury It

_**Gibbs:**__ Don't bury it Ziva. _

--

In a moment, he realized just how alike they truly were. Tragedies lining both their lives…real relationships with a distant few…left to reconcile countless deaths at their own hands…

He'd buried it. On the battle field…in a coma…staring down the barrel of a gun. To him there was no other option…death had become_ his_ contingency plan.

He unburied it. Minute by restless minute. Hour by painful hour. Day by miserable day.

And now he sits toiling away with his hands, letting the silence of his home throw up another pile of dirt…because every morning he makes the choice to live.

For his family.

For his team.

For himself.


	3. First And Foremost

_**Ducky:**__ I do not know what games they are playing upstairs, but I have had enough. First and foremost you are our friend…I want to be a friend Ziva._

--

"Ah Special Agent, Ziva David…to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ducky diverted his attention only to her.

"News travels fast."

"Helps to be best friends with the boss…" He smiled a bit. "How are you adjusting?"

"Surprisingly well…"

"I am not surprised," he shook his head. "You are strong."

"I do not feel strong."

"My point exactly…you are also human." He continued to smile at her. "So, did you just come down here for small talk? Or an excuse to get away from all that paperwork." He stifled a laugh. "I told you news travels fast…"

"I came down here to say thank you…that is what friends say to other friends yes?"

"Quite the contrary actually…true friends should need no thanks…it is, simply put, what friends do."

She placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "There is an old saying in Israel…kiss on the cheek…"

"Knife in the back," Ducky concluded solemnly. "But you are not in Israel anymore..."

"No," she shook her head and continued to smile. "I am_ home_…"


	4. That Part Of You Died There

_**Ziva:**__ I had nothing but death in my heart. _

_**Gibbs**__: You never had choice, he dint give you a choice, he raised you be a ruthless, soulless killer. _

_**Ziva:**__ I did not mean to live through it. _

_**Gibbs**__: You didn't…that part of you died out there. _

--

Gibbs didn't have to look behind him to know who was coming down the stairs.

"You should be asleep…"

Ziva took each step slow and deliberately. "I should be here."

Gibbs set his tools down, and turned to face her; his expression saying enough.

"I know I do not to say thank you, again…but I could not sleep without cleaning the air."

"Clearing…"

"That too," she almost smiled. "You said that my Father never gave me a choice…but one always has a choice yes?"

"You're here aren't you?"

She nodded. "What choice was taken away from you?"

Gibbs eyes shifted. "Not important."

"Why is it not?"

"Past Ziva…you gotta leave it there."

"But the past affects who we are in this moment…it affects the choices we make, the friends we have, the life we will lead from this moment on…"

"No it doesn't."

"Then what does?"

"_You_ do…" He pointed at her. "You chose…the past doesn't have that kind of power." He thought for a moment. "Unless you let it."

"Then I am ready to move forward…"

Gibbs nodded towards her. "And you wake up every morning and tell yourself that…"

Ziva's face whitened as her eyes fixated on an invisible pool of blood on the cement floor. "What you said, in interrogation…"

"I don't say things I don't mean Ziva…"

She smiled slowly as she looked up. "I do not deserve a second chance…"

He placed a soft hand on her back and led her upstairs. "None of us do."


	5. I Hack

_**Tony**__: I'm a hacker. I hack._

_--_

Gibbs slamming his hand on his computer monitor was a common occurrence. About as common, as the common cold in fact. So why was this time any different? Because this time, Timothy McGee couldn't fix it.

"What are you saying McGee?"

"I'm saying…" he took in a deep breath. "I can't do it boss."

"Cant?" Only he didn't let his Agent respond; just yelled across the bull pen. "DiNozzo!"

He was almost too busy snickering to hear it. "Yeah boss?"

"Get over here and hack this…"

Tony froze. "Hack?"

"Did I stutter?"

He rose to his feet and shooed Tim away, taking a seat behind Gibbs desk. Not because he thought he could actually do it, but because you never disobey a direct order…

"I don't know if I can…"

Gibbs glare intensified. "You hack that virus thing or so help me I'll break your fingers!"

Tony cradled his hands close to his chest. "I'm fragile boss."

"So's my temper…now do it!" He turned to leave. "You got two hours…"

Tony immediately pleaded with McGee. "Come on Probie…you gotta help me, I'll do anything…"

"See Tony, I would but I got a thing…" He lifted his back pack.

"Aw come on man, I got this really hot chick waiting for me at O'Dowds down the street…please, I'll pay you…"

"Thanks, but no thanks…" He left, grinning ear to ear.

Tony reached for the phone to dial Abby, when she appeared in front of him. "McGee leave already?"

"Yeah, he abandoned ship…and I'm still sinking…"

"Aww," she patted him on the head. "Can I help?"

He contemplated standing up when he figured Gibbs would enter any second. "Boss has me trying to hack this thing off his computer…"

"Tim couldn't figure it out?"

"I know right? I can feel hell freezing over right now…starting with me…"

"Relax…"

"Do you hear yourself? Gibbs said if I don't fix this in two hours, he'll break my fingers…"

"He said that?"

"I distinctly remember the part about my fingers," he repeated. "Gibbs doesn't make empty threats Abby…"

"Oh come on, he's probably just upset because the coffee place had a power outage…"

"Now I'm really dead…"

"Look, we're all headed to Ziva's…little welcome back shin dig…I'm sure Gibbs will understand."

"If it was you maybe…" he looked defeated. "You guys go…have fun…say a prayer for my fingers…"

Abby gave him a quick hug before turning to leave as well. She reached for her phone the moment she entered the elevator.

"How bad is he?" McGee asked anxious for her response.

Abby giggled slightly. "He is totally freaking out…how did you get Gibbs to agree to this?"

"Bribed the guy at the coffee shop to bag me up some of the grounds so he could brew it at the office…"

"Genius."

"Just wait till the two hour mark…"

"What happens then?"

"The program I put in simulates bank account information being erased…"

"He's gonna think Gibbs money is being stolen?"

"Oh yeah."

"Timothy McGee!" Her voice suddenly became firm, but soon relented. "We should totally watch his response at Ziva's…I should be able to hack into the video feed from my lab top…"

McGee agreed. "One step ahead of you…"

"Ha! Be over in fifteen…"

--

Gibbs was slow to answer his phone after watching Tony all but faint at his desk.

"You better be calling to say it's fixed DiNozzo…"

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean, not exactly?"

"Well you see, I tried to do the hacking thing…but…well…I'll completely understand if you want to fire me, in fact, if I were you, I would fire me…because it's a lot easier than being brought up on murder charges…"

"Murder charges?"

"For after you kill me…"

Gibbs resisted laughing outright. "DiNozzo, I'm not gonna kill you…"

"You're not?"

"No…"

"Why?"

"Because it was a joke…" He explained it with a simple name. "McGee…"

Tony stood up from the desk and raced out of the bull pen. "Boss…about those murder charges?"

"Yeah…"

"Get me a good lawyer…"


End file.
